


Heart Encryption

by inkbled



Series: salvation among war [1]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood and Gore, Depression, Elijah Kamski and Gavin Reed are related, Eventual Romance, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, FTM Gavin Reed, Family Issues, Gen, Headcanon-centric, Multi, Pre-Established Relationships, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, Social Anxiety, Trans Gavin Reed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-09
Updated: 2018-11-27
Packaged: 2019-06-25 14:30:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15642669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkbled/pseuds/inkbled
Summary: She hated being the center of attention — especially with every single cop breathing down her neck and asking questions, interrogating her as she stood at the counter, eyes narrowed in annoyance. The chime of the door opening sets off, but she's far too busy to even notice that someone has walked up to her until he's introducing himself. She can already tell who — and what he is; that blue LED is a dead giveaway."Hello, my name is Connor. I'm the android sent by Cyberlife."There's dread that fills up her entire being. Xandra is fucked and she knows it.— — — —With the increase of androids going rogue, nowhere feels safe. Xandra works at a small time cafe just outside of the heart of Detroit — thankful to be earning money even with the increasing amount that is added into her bank account by her eldest brother. However, things turn upside down when one of the androids working at the cafe end up sabotaging the machinery and leaving the scene — and now the DPD is involved. And so is the part-time worker.





	1. chapter 001

**Author's Note:**

> i'm terrible at keeping up with fanfics that i create and i probably won't have time for this all the time, but here it is. a detroit: become human fanfic for an original character that i originally created and originated from a different fandom, but i love her too much to NOT put her in here. i hope you all enjoy!

 

* * *

 

_ Bright. _

That’s the first thing that registers when she opens up her eyes and blinks tiredly at the open curtains, revealing the heart of Detroit  — she  _ hates  _ it. Well… okay, maybe she doesn’t  _ hate _ it but she hates the sun and the brightness and  _ god why the fuck does it have to glare into her eyes and burn them alive. _ She groans, turns around and gazes at the holographic alarm clock that reads 10AM in soft neon blue, and then narrows her eyes.

_ Early. _

She buries her face into a pillow, shielding herself from the sun because she’s too lazy to speak out loud and command that the curtains close again. A soft grunt is all she can do as she tries to fall back asleep. Just as sleep looms over her brain in a slow fog, the loud ring of her phone nearby goes off, making her shout in alarm and shoot up suddenly. Sandy blonde hair is a mess, sticking in all the wrong places before she quickly moves to shut off the alarm. “Fuuuuck,  _ turn off _ , please?” She whines, phone slipping from her nightstand to the floor and from the buzzing that comes from it, it’s probably making its way underneath her bed. Alexandra gets out of bed quickly, sheets and blankets tangled around her bare legs and making her trip and fall.

_ Cold _ .

“ _ Fuuuuck. _ ”

She quickly snatches her phone and turns the alarm off, her free hand moving up to rub at the bags underneath her eyes before finally sighing in defeat. It’s cold, early, and too fucking  _ bright _ , but she has to suffer through it. She has work anyways.

“Curtains, off.” A soft but commanding tone and the curtains shut off, but the lights soon flicker on. The bathroom is warm and inviting and she slips in, discarding her clothes and hopping into the shower to cleanse herself of exhaustion and whatever else that had been sticking to her for the past few days.

 

* * *

 

Detroit is… something else. Michigan in general is something  _ wild _ and never had she thought of living here — but then again, it was now only a year or two since she moved into her decently sized apartment. The weather was possibly better than Ohio, but she had never noticed besides the bitter cold winters and having to drive back down to her brother’s home for Christmas. Androids were treated differently as well; her brother had taken notice of it right away, but Xandra had still stubbornly stuck to her plan of moving out to live on her own. She needed  _ change _ and these past two years were helping her realize what she wanted.

She just wishes that her brother noticed it.

The smell of coffee and caramel fill her nostrils as soon as she walks out of the bedroom with a towel wrapped around her head and a bathrobe secured around her body. She’s thankful for the automated coffee machine and grabs the mug instantly before pouring creamer and sugar into the cup — stirring it in with a spoon before blowing gently against the heat and taking a sip. It stings but it’s  _ so  _ worth it, especially with how good the caffeine tastes. “ _ Mmm. _ ”

The apartment is just close enough to the heart of Detroit that she can already notice people and androids alike walking amongst each other. She takes a step into the living room, about to take another sip of her coffee before noticing the flickering red on the desk, frowning when she realized it was her phone. Hesitating, she puts the mug down on the counter and moves forward, trying to guess what kind of phone call she had received. Then again, there was only  _ two _ people who would call her house number and not her cell phone and if she was being honest with herself, she hoped it was her brother and not…  _ the other one _ .

Xandra stops herself from pressing the play button, wetting her lips before sighing softly and looking over at the clock. 10:38PM.  _ Ugh _ . She’ll have to wait until later on tonight, she has to get ready and head out for work. She moves throughout her apartment and goes back into her bedroom, rummaging through her drawers before pulling out a plain black t-shirt and jeans with white socks. It was her usual attire for work, but  _ fuck _ was it just… well,  _ plain _ . Shutting the drawer, she throws on her clothes after drying herself off and was about to put on her socks and shoes when a knock came from her door.

Shuffling to the door so that she wouldn’t trip, she unlocks and peaks through the crack, only fully opening the door when she meets a pair of hazel eyes and blue LED. The android is smiling, as they always are, and it continues to stay there even as she opens the door completely open with a curious expression forming on her face. She notices the package, but it ignores it in favor of smiling in return, “Is there something wrong?”

“No, not at all, ma’am. I was asked to bring this up to you. All I need for you to do is sign something and I’ll be out of your hair.” It’s an oddly sweet tone and she winces slightly at it, slowly running a hand through her hair before she sighs and gestures for the android to give her the thing she needs to  _ sign _ . When he gives it to her, she notices the name and smiles softly; usually the only brother who keeps in contact with her is Benjamin, Ethan and Nathan never really…  _ send _ her stuff. Tablet signed and given back, she accepts the package and shuts the door after exchanging goodbyes.

Her phone buzzes, signalling that it’s  _ time to go _ , so Xandra places the package on the counter, puts her shoes on, and heads out. As always, the chill Detroit air greeted her as soon as she left the apartment.

 

* * *

 

Working at a small time cafe just outside of Detroit’s bustling city had its perks — including a no-man staff; she was lucky that the owners even hired it and the pay was decent enough to where she could live comfortably if her brother ever decided that he was done sending her money to her bank account. She rarely used money outside of necessities unless she really wanted a new game or needed new clothes, but… then again, she always wanted new clothes that she stumbled upon online. The cafe is quiet besides for the few androids who are cleaning, it’s warm and cozy, and Xandra has time to do other things while there’s no one else around.

Things seem at peace until she hears glass breaking from over the counter and a surprised gasp, her eyes widening and walking around the counter to see that an android had broken a few cups and plates. The young woman winces and quickly comes to their aid, rushing over to help with the glass. While she does it, she can hear the android rambling on about how she shouldn’t be helping, that it’s  _ his _ mess to clean up. She shakes her head and lets out a breathy laugh, “What? No, listen, it’s  _ fine _ . Everything is fine, besides, KW500s aren’t typically…  _ meant _ for this sort of job, you’re fine.” She carefully picks up the remaining bit that the other android couldn’t pick up and swiftly moves to a trash can nearby to deposit it all.

Typically, a cafe wouldn’t have a wide range of androids working here, especially AX400s, WG100s, and even WR600s — they were meant for  _ other _ things, not customer service, but the owners bought what they could afford and take from people who no longer needed them. Xandra turns and notices the KW500’s bleeding hand, blue blood welling up on the tips and a gash across his hand, “Oh no, hon—” Quickly, she grabs his hand and gently rushes him over to the bathrooms, grabbing a few bandages from the first-aid kit before entering the tiny restroom herself.

Out of every android that she worked with,  _ he _ was different.  He was an older model, only a few ones working and the stores didn’t sell extra parts and when they  _ did _ , they were expensive. She gently washes the blood away and dries it off, ignoring that he winces and twitches at the pressure before wrapping the bandages around his palm. His nametag is worn and old and barely has a decent name on there, so she calls him  _ K _ , but only because he seems to tolerate it. He speaks up, voice shaky as he laughs a little, “I’m breaking apart little by little everyday, aren’t I?” Androids don’t usually talk like this, but maybe that’s because he’s an older model. He’s the only one she’s noticed that does it, though, “What if they decide to throw me out? What am I going to do then?”

Xandra chews on her bottom lip, trying to think before gently smoothing out the bandage, “They won’t throw you out, I promise. You’re my favorite anyways, I’d throw a fit if they decided to do that to you, K.” She lets go of his hand and pats his cheek, giving his forehead a smooch before gesturing towards the door, “We should head out now, but keep an eye on your hand, alright? And when it heals, remove the bandages and throw ‘em away, yeah?” A smile graces her features as he offers a small one in return and they leave the room to help cleanup the rest of the cafe.

Things were slow after that; a couple people came in every so often, rush hour brought in  _ more than enough _ people, and by the time Xandra had to leave, it had quieted down. K’s hand was getting better, but the self-healing program that he had wasn’t like the newer models, so it would take a few more hours, or even overnight, for the gash to heal. Before she left, she headed up the stairs and to the left, opening one of the doors to reveal another android in stasis — the one who took over when she was gone. An AX400 by the name of Lily and one of the newer ones who replaced a previous model after the older one self destructed.

Xandra is hesitant, moves into the small room, and gently touches her hand, watching as the LED flickers and eyes open to reveal soft emerald hues. Lily smiles, follows the younger woman as she steps out, and finally speaks up, “Remember to come in tomorrow evening for maintenance, Alexandra.” And with that, the android turns and walks down the stairs. A sigh is released, making the sandy blonde realize how stressed she has been since K got his hand cut.

“Alright, it’s time to go…” She runs thin fingers through her hair before grabbing her coat from the opposite closet and takes her leave, waving goodbye to everyone and giving K one last checkup before exiting the cafe. As soon as she got outside, the crisp evening air nipped at her nose and the tips of her ears, making her shiver at the cold air.  _ God _ , she hated Detroit sometimes.

It would take nearly an hour to get back to her place if she walked, so she rings in a taxi and climbs into the vehicle, warming up instantly as heat surrounds her bones and warms up her chilled bones. She types in the location of a grocery store near her apartment complex and allows herself to finally relax after working.

 

* * *

 

The apartment is awakened into a shimmer of lights just as she opens the door, leaving no time for clumsy feet to trip over themselves as she places the three bags of fresh produce on the counter, right next to the package. Instead of opening it right then and there, she lets out a quiet yawn and moves to the heated tank nearby, smiling as she grabs a small container and dumps a few insects into the tank, watching as a small black and white snake slithers up to munch on the bugs, “Hey there, Princess.” She coos softly, closing up the tank before closing and putting the container up.

Stumbling over to the bag, she pulls out a box full of mac n cheese and chicken tenders, humming softly as she puts the rest of the food away in their respective places, “God, what would Benjamin think about me eating like this? He’d probably drag me back to Columbus with his wife.” She laughs out softly, opening the plastic container and letting the steam rise — she’d have to let it cool off but she was fine with that, even as doe brown eyes roamed to not the package, but the red blink of the old phone that was installed in the corner of the living room. Her stomach churns at the idea of figuring out who sent the message, but she has to do it.

Her palms are sweaty as soon as she gets to the phone, her heart pounding in her chest as she slowly breathes in and out, quickly pressing the voicemail button and awaiting the voice.

“Hey, Alex—”  _ Benjamin _ . Xandra heaves a sigh of relief and collapses into the brown armchair nearby, running her fingers through her hair repeatedly while listening to Ben ramble on about the company he’s working at and how he misses her, “— listen, I know you wanted to live on your own and I  _ know _ I gave you a hard time after you left, but the… the holidays are coming up again. I know it’s November and it might be a bit too early or a bit too late on your end but—” It cuts off, she hears shuffling and then she hears a soft tone; Delilah has taken the phone and the woman lets out a laugh.

“We’d love to have you this Christmas, Alexandra. Nathan and Ethan are already planning on coming, we want everyone to be here.” There’s a soft silence and Xandra sighs, listening as Ben says he loves her and hopes that she has a good day, before the line cuts off. 

Uneasy with the outcome of that voicemail, Xandra slips back into the kitchen, eats, and slips into her bed as soon as she changes into night clothes.

 

* * *

She keeps to her routine on her day off, cleaning house and feeding Princess while ignoring the package on the counter. Now that she knows that her brothers are wanting her to come down, things feel…  _ heavier _ , something is increasing the weight of her shoulders and she hates it. The bitter cold air during the evening is so much worse than it should be, and she dreads walking into the cafe and having to make sure things are up to date on the equipment before the owners get back in a few days.

Xandra yawns as she walks into the dim kitchen, discarding her jacket on a counter before pausing — something feels  _ off _ and she moves across the room to the open floor, frowning when she doesn’t see anything that would throw her off besides the few dirty cups resting on a table nearby. Hands tug on her sweater and she’s instantly searching the area for the androids who usually greet her, heart beginning to pound in her chest as she calls out some of their names, only to freeze when she hears something hit the freezer door from back in the kitchen. “K? K are you  _ there _ ?” She rushes over, using all of the strength she can muster up to throw the door open, pausing when she realizes what’s wrong.

Lily, the AX400, is practically torn up and ripped apart, thirium pumps shining with blue liquid as it spurts out blood every few seconds, fingers twitching as her LED swirls from yellow to red — and despite everything, Xandra can hear the choked off gasps of her name before the body stills. It’s a silent half minute before the blonde backs up slowly, eyes growing wide in panic. Who would’ve done this?

She spins around and runs out of the freezer, just in time for someone to push her against the opposite wall and crack her head against the brick. She’s thrown off, vision blurry before it ends up blackening to the point of growing unconscious.

When she comes to, she’s surrounded by officers.


	2. chapter 002

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xandra meets an old friend and is greeted by a new android — however, she refuses to cooperate. Even if she DID know who knocked her out, she refuses to believe that they're placing the blame on the gentle android that she's called K for the past few months.

▸  **Aroma Mocha, Detroit, Michigan.  11:47PM.**

She was lucky to be alive.

Apparently one of the androids had called the police shortly after Lily had been taken apart and at first, the police thought _she_ was the one who tore apart the AX400 — it was ruled out after Xandra revealed her ID badge and the keys. She was then given a heavy blanket that kept her from panicking too much ( she didn’t really need it ) and directed her over to a booth in a corner of the small cafe so they could prep the scene. Even though the heavy blanket was meant to calm people down, the sandy blonde grew weary of the men and women roaming the building.

Police have always made Xandra anxious and she’s always hated being the center of attention, _especially_ big crowds of them as they walk about the small front space of the cafe. Her eyes trail over to each and every man and woman who were called in and there has been at least half a dozen who have tried questioning her about the rogue android who ‘attacked’ her. They didn’t even _know_ if it was an android but they always managed to somehow say it was one; they turned a blind eye to the humans who attacked androids.

The worst thing, though, was that when she mentioned the older android, K, none of them were able to say whether they found him or not.

She wraps the blanket tighter around her body, closing her eyes before opening them to make sure no one was ready to bother her. The only reason why they were here was because of her, not because of the shredded up android that was in the freezer still. She couldn’t even remember what the person looked like and she was scared that they had taken K as some sort of… _bargain_ tool. She shifts, rests her head against the table, and heaves a sigh before jerking at the soft hand that rested on her shoulder. It’s an officer and Xandra instantly wants to curl up and possibly strangle herself.

“How you holding up?” Her voice is full of concern but the blonde has a feeling that a friend is lurking somewhere away from the two women. Xandra doesn’t want to talk but she also doesn’t want her to think she’s mad at _her_ , so finally, she lets out a low groan and covers her face.

“I’m scared, anxious, and ready to leave to get back to my own bed. This is such bullshit, I’m fine—”

“You have a busted lip and the bruise the size of a _acorn_ , ma’am...” Her voice is stern, authoritative, and she knows that means that she should _stop complaining,_ but she wants to leave and eat, have something to snack on before going to bed — before something worse fucking happens. She pulls away from the hand, tries to physically tell the officer that she wants to be left alone. The voice sounds familiar, but she doesn’t want to turn around to prove that her suspicions are correct.

A whine slips past her lips and she listens for footsteps as the other woman leaves, thankful that it was cut short but also upset that she wasn’t being offered a reason why she was to stay. She covers her face and presses her forehead against the table, a sort of calming cold cooling her forehead, but also feeling the slight tinge of pain as the bump was pressed further into the table. As a kid, she’d seen cartoons where bumps would go different places if you pushed against it, but now that she was an adult, she knew better. _And it kinda sucked._ She shifts, sighs, and pulls away from the table just in time for the bell to ring on the door, signaling _more officers_.

But when she turns to catch glimpse of who came in, her eyes focus on the older, bigger male, as the one who stands behind him slips out of view quickly. Xandra blinks not once, not twice, but _three fucking times_ to make sure that she knew him. _Hank_ . Oh boy. She quickly looks away and tries not to bring notice to herself, but she can hear him grunt and move forward before she has time to hide herself under the security of the blanket. _So much for helping with anxiety._ Her heart is practically in her throat, screaming to get out and now she’s feeling a bit dizzier than she had been before. _Fuck_.

“Didn’t I tell you to stop causing trouble?” His voice is stern, just like how anyone would who cared _too much_ about someone else. She doesn’t look at him, shrugs sheepishly, before glancing out the window because it’d suck if the other person was who she thought it was. There hadn’t been news about a new person in the precinct for a while now. ... _Right?_ Hank must get that she doesn’t want to talk, but he knows that she’s stubborn, so he sits in the other chair, pulls out a small notepad, and folds his hands together and waits. Xandra chews on her bottom lip and waits, waits, _and waits_ , but he doesn’t leave.

Finally, she sighs and turns to the older man, “I was knocked out, I didn’t see an LED or _anything_ for that matter. I just want to go home and sleep.” She’s whining in her own way, covering her face and hoping the other will just let her go if she did just enough of it to annoy him. He’s been dealing with her for a few years now, anyways.

But one she peeks at him, his face says it all; he needs to do his job, that this is _different_ from any other time, “I believe you, but we need to make _sure_ we know every detail. It’ll be easier if you let me ask the questions instead of… _him_.”

 _Him_. Him? Xandra raises an eyebrow, obviously confused before said eyebrows furrow in deeper confusion. The guy who probably slipped from view before she could get a good look at him… right? “I thought you two didn’t get along? Did I miss something or..?” Hank gives a bewildered look before realization dawns on him and he’s about to speak when he suddenly looks behind her and shuts up instantly.

“I assume you’re Alexandra Robinson, correct?” The speech pattern is weird, nothing like an officer, PC200, or a PM700. She turns and the first thing she sees are the brightly colored numbers and words RK800 etched onto the suit, as well as the serial numbers. Once softly colored brown eyes roamed up, she was met with a gentle gaze of puppy dog eyes and a single eyebrow raised, giving off the impression that she was staring at some kind of humanized _puppy_. What the fuck. She’s so caught off guard that she forgets to answer his question and begins to fumble with her choice of words, all the while making sure the older man in the seat opposite of her doesn’t catch notice of her odd behavior.

“Yeah, that’s… that’s me.” _When did the police department get a new android?_   She glances downwards, back at the serial number and the bright RK800. Her brother never mentioned an RK-series when she was younger, so this was throwing her into a loop. Hank was the one to thankfully pull her back to reality, a reassuring hand gripping her shoulder and making her realize that this android was sticking his hand out for a… for a _hand shake_ . Xandra stood up suddenly, chest pressed against chest and it took all but a few seconds for the android to move away so she could have space. _Thank God._ She felt like she was about to combust.

Once her hand was in his own, she felt the tight grip and she tried to mimic the same strength, shaking his hand just once before letting go. She wanted to ask him who he was, but he seemed to already know what she was about to ask, as his voice rang through her head as he spoke, “I’m Connor, the android sent by Cyberlife. I’m here to investigate the influx of rogue androids that keep appearing throughout Detroit.” She nodded, frowning slightly before it dawned on her; _did they think K was the reason for all of this?_

“He didn’t hurt anyone.” She stated firmly, through clenched teeth and a seething look, “He wouldn’t hurt anyone and he certainly wouldn’t be going around, murdering other androids.” It’s like a spark ignited and both of the men seem to be shocked by her outburst, though the only thing that confirms that she shocked the android is the red that shows up on a once blue LED. She hates that they suspect K because he couldn’t have possibly murdered anyone… _right?_

The RK800 unit seems to recover the quickest, a small frown forming on his face while he corrects his tie, “I’m sorry you think that way, Miss Robinson, but all evidence points to an android, as there isn’t no sign of forced entry, _or_ fingerprints on anything. Only signs of blue blood leading from the kitchen and to the door.” There’s a sense of pride in his voice and the young woman can’t help but stare at him in disbelief; he sounds just like her ex. She’s about to shoot out another comment but Hank stops her and the android continues, “Your blood pressure is quite high, so I’ll let you go for now. But please, if you have anything, please be sure to talk to us when you get the chance.”

Xandra shoots him a glare before shooting one towards Hank, finally moving forward to get to the door, “I don’t remember anything after the bump on my head, so don’t expect me to come running back to the station.” Before any of them, even the other officers, had time to stop her, she was out the door and greeted by the chilly night air of Detroit.

 

* * *

 

It took an hour to get back to her apartment, mostly due to not contacting a taxi and because the buses didn’t run this late. It was about one in the morning when she finally got to the door and was greeted by warmth, her nose and cheeks both cold and red. That was her fault though… she should have brought a scarf or heavier jacket when she went to work. Xandra blinks tiredly, frowning before taking in a deep breath and moving to her coffee machine in hopes of being able to produce a warm cup while she searched her fridge for leftovers — thankfully the machine didn’t have a mind of its own and began producing the coffee she oh-so needed. The room was soon smelling of caramel and vanilla.

The cafe would be closed for a few days, maybe even a week, so she was out of a job for a while until then. She grimaces and glances over to her phone, knowing that she’d have to call her brother soon to notify him so he wouldn’t have a freak fest. It would be in the news, she was certain of that, but she had a small sliver of hope that maybe it would take them a while… besides, the DPD seemed to be quiet when it came to the news station prying for answers.

Xandra shifts from one foot to the other, rummaging through her fridge before finally settling down with a banana — her stomach wasn’t feeling too good now that she was focusing on other things, but she _has_ to eat so she doesn’t end up waking up with a headache. She turns to the tank that Princess resides in, opening it up and letting the small snake move to find comfort on her shoulder and move to the other side so she could rest her head on the other shoulder. Grabbing her coffee in her free hand, she moves towards the T.V. and decides that she’ll watch a few shows before heading to bed.

Despite the knots in her stomach and the anxiety settling in her head, she drinks her coffee and eats the fruit in hand. Only then does she decide to try and relax with her pet snake. Maybe when she wakes up, it won’t be as bad as tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, kudos + comments are always appreciated, especially in making me work on the chapters faster!
> 
> follow me over on kiwifae.tumblr.com/ so you can kick my ass when i don't update frequently.


	3. chapter 003

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xandra can't help but feel overwhelmed with what's happening around her, especially when things start to become a lot more clear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to complete this chapter! But it's finally here! Yay! I also have a friend who is beta reading n stuff for me now! My interest is also slowly moving from DBH to RDR2 and Overwatch, so expect some stories. :3c
> 
> Has been edited!

There was a total of six messages, two voicemails, and three missed calls when Xandra woke up this morning. That number only increased when she didn’t answer any of them as she went about her day, cleaning her apartment, feeding her snake, and glancing at the package that was on her kitchen counter. She didn’t even take a second glance at her phone when out and about, hoping to find a job quick and fast  — but with the increasing number of androids taking jobs, it was nearly impossible to find one that didn’t require a degree in  _ ‘How to Ffix an Aandroid 101’ _ . Elijah Kamski was a  _ brilliant _ man and the minute they began hiring at the new branch in Columbus, her brother had taken the job almost immediately. He was constantly bringing home android parts and broken androids, fixing them up in the hopes of learning something. She watched and learned, but then again… those were  _ old androids _ . The newer ones looked more… realistic,  _ human _ . Nothing like the shells of white plastic that her brother had taken home to fix.

She chews on her bottom lip and runs a hand through her blonde hair, trying to think of any other place she hadn’t thought of before. Thoughts run wild inside her head, and she suddenly feels dizzy enough to sit down nearby and breathe in the chill air — but doing that just means she can’t go about finding a job quicker. _Damn it_.

The more she thinks, she starts to remember how  _ guilty _ she must have sounded last night when they brought up K. The police were probably wondering how she could be defending someone who could have killed her. But he’d never do that, would have  _ never _ harmed anyone. Yet she’s seen the news; Carl Manfred’s son was severely injured by his own android, a man by the name of  _ Todd Williams  _ reported that his android kidnapped his daughter, and there were rumors of something happening at Eden Club. She shifts a little on the bench and tugs at her hair, trying to clear her mind of things like that. Ever since she was young, she treated androids like  _ humans _ . She’s seen the harm and abuse they endure, the public displays of beatings that owners sometimes do to their androids when they glitch or do something that they don’t like. The very thoughts and memories that flood into her head makes her clench her hands up into fists, her teeth grinding together before she takes in a few deep breaths.  _ Calm down. _

One, two, three breaths and she’s calm again, but now cold due to the breeze that has blown in. She’s tired, even though it’s almost noon… large crowds always make her exhausted and she finds it unfair. But then again, she’s always hated rowdy crowds — especially the ones who were just now piling into the park, their painted signs showing what they were protesting. Xandra frowns and scoots down the bench, but the crowd is beginning to attract attention and having others join in on the growing protest against androids. Yes, she understood why they were upset,  _ why _ they were mad at androids taking away jobs, but she had seen what these groups can do and she doesn’t like it. It leaves an upset feeling in her stomach and she’s about to leave, hoping to not draw attention to herself.

But it fails. A man is calling for her attention and  _ damn it! _ She winces and swears under her breath. Instead of  _ leaving _ , she’s suddenly being pulled into the crowd. She’s just one push against the tidal wave of pulling and there’s no way in hell she’s strong enough to force herself through, “Listen, I’d love to stick around and chat, but I  _ really _ need to get going or I’m going to be late.” The attempt is ignored and suddenly someone is attached to her hip and an arm is lazily slung around her shoulder, the smell of strong cologne invading her nostrils and making her scrunch her nose up in protest. Why did they always have to use the  _ strongest one _ ? Were they showering properly or not?

“I’m sure you can take just a few more minutes out of your morning walk in the park to voice your discomfort over the rising unemployment among us, sweetheart.” His voice is raspy, like he’s been smoking just before this and he hasn’t drank any water… and what annoys her the most is how he said  _ sweetheart _ . Fingers twitch ever so slightly, but she keeps her cool as she’s dragged over to the large crowd who has began shouting at any android who comes near them.

“Listen, I should  _ really _ get going. I’m not a yelling sort of person and I’m definitely not the type to be late for anything.” Her voice is drowned out by the yelling and she can’t help but shrink back in discomfort before tugging away from the man, only to bump into an older fellow with a lot more muscle on him.  _ Fucking hell. _

She’s stuck. The group is getting more rowdy and then a large THUNK is heard. It forces her to push through the crowd to see what the fuck happened. The group had formed a circle around an WR600, his LED a vivid yellow and red as it circled between the two colors.  _ What the fuck were they doing? _ There’s shouts and curses and the next thing Xandra knows, a woman is breaking from the circle and kicking the android’s head — cheers erupting from the others before others join in. All she does is stand there in shock, brown eyes wide in fear as she watches the android getting hit and kicked and even  _ spit on _ . She turns, sees two officers nearby, doing absolutely  _ nothing  _ to stop them from damaging the android further.

She’s being pushed, people saying it’s her turn, feet stumbling over to the bloodied android as the crowd cheers and ushers her on. But she doesn’t kick him, doesn’t  _ harm him _ , and instead slowly crouches down to help him up. “It’s okay, everything will be fine, alright? I’ll get you out of here, hon.” She’s gentle his with hand, lets him stand on his own with her support and gently brushes off the dirt on his uniform — she can hear the confusion from the crowd as she moves to the nearest person, but she can already see that they won’t move, that they won’t allow her to move past them. The WR600 is mumbling under his breath, probably due to a malfunction or the mere stress of being attacked, trying to find the reason why he provoked the unwanted abuse. It breaks her heart and she’s trying her best not to cry.

She’s so close to pushing past, but then someone tugs on the back of her shirt while another persongroup tugs away the android that she had been helping. They push him down to the ground and spit again, but their new target is  _ her as well _ . She sees the man once more, the one who had dragged her here in the first place, and it’s so fucking obvious that there’s rage behind every step he takes, all the way up to the point where he’s in her face and pushing her, “What the  _ fuck _ is your problem? The fuck are you thinking, helping it like that?!” She can already hear the slurs and the word  _ bitch _ being uttered by the surrounding people, but she can’t help but stand her ground and sneer at him.

“That WR600 is a _commercial android,_ designed for maintenance in green spaces, aka _this fucking park_. There’s no reason for you to be hitting and spitting on him like he’s _trash_ , you fucking prick!” She pushes at him, but she realizes her mistake as she’s suddenly shoved to the ground, smacking down right on her tailbone and making her wheeze. The air is knocked straight from her and she holds her stomach, choking slightly before she feels herself being dragged upright and slapped. Dazed and confused, she can’t help but take the slight beating before she regains her ability to breathe. He’s turned around, for some reason, by the time she struggles out of the other person’s grip. Anger fuels her actions as she yanks a sign from one of the other people’s hands and swings, smacking the guy upside the head with it and knocking him down on the ground. She doesn’t have time to see if he’s conscious or not, because the police are right by her side in an instant, taking the sign from her and pushing her out of the crowd.

_ Of course they fucking decided to come in now. _

But she’s not dumb enough to resist the officers, especially when being dragged away… at least she was able to see one of the other officers helping the android get up, but that’s all they really seemed to do before she was shoved inside the car.

 

* * *

 

Walking into the Detroit Police Department with handcuffs on and two officers escorting her to the small container-like cell wasn’t really what she’d call fun, especially when Hank Anderson was at his desk and gaping at her like she was insane. It didn’t help that she had smiled and waved at him either while passing by. So much for keeping her nose clean.

She sits in the cell for about thirty minutes or so, listening to the guy next door going on about how he didn’t do what they were accusing him of. Thirty minutes and she’s being dragged from the cell over to Hank’s desk, her eyes quickly roaming the precinct in hopes of not seeing the one person she has been avoiding for a few months now. With the person nowhere in sight, Xandra was slowly easing into her chair until a hand slamming on a desk made her instantly sit up again with wide, attentive eyes — and staring at an annoyed police officer.

“What the hell were you thinking, Xandra?”  _ Ah _ , she’ll never really understand that tone Hank uses; the kind a father would use to scold his child, but  _ that’s the thing _ , she’s not  _ his kid _ . Though, she does end up sinking into her chair in pure embarrassment, already feeling the sting of flushed cheeks before avoiding eye contact and shrugging. She’s about to speak but he interrupts her, “Not only are you a suspect in an ongoing investigation, but  _ the day after _ , you decide to get into a fight with some guy—”

“ _ Some guy _ ? He was assaulting an android, Hank, an android that did nothing wrong but be there at the wrong time, for christ’s sake! The officers there did nothing about it until  _ after _ I hit that prick across the head with a sign.” She’s getting defensive and she’s boiling with anger again, her eyes narrowed at the older man before waving her hand a bit, “He should be the one in this seat, not me! I was  _ only helping _ and they decided they were gonna target  _ me _ next.” Xandra takes in a deep breath and exhales, crossing her arms over her chest in sheer pettiness before looking away once more. “Karma doesn’t like to exactly hit people upside the head with a sign, so I do it for her.”

She can already feel the undeniable gaze of pure distaste from the rest of the officers nearby and the confusion from the man in front of her — it’s not the first time she’s sat in this chair, in front of Hank fucking Anderson, and it wouldn’t be the last time either… not until people began to realize that androids shouldn’t be treated like garbage.  _ Not like that would be happening anytime soon. _ She’s about to speak up again but then she catches him in her sights, the android from last night, who seems to be making his way towards the desk. However, it seems like he didn’t even know she’d be here, if the look of puzzlement was anything to go by. She does what she had done to Hank, wave and smile, before turning to glance at the lieutenant.

Again, she tries to speak, but Connor is already by their side as he places a few files on Hank’s desk. Her curious gaze tries to read the open file, but the old grizzly bear yanks the files quickly from her line of sight before placing them down somewhere closer to him.  He even gives her a pointed stare to tell her to  _ not do it again _ . The RK-model is the first to speak, his voice soft but having that undertone of  _ sterness _ , “What’s Miss Robinson doing here, Hank?”

“Being a pain in my ass, Connor. What is it this time?” Xandra pouts at the words but decides to turn around and ignore their conversation, knowing full well that if she left in the middle of it, she’d get in trouble later on; Hank did have the number to Benjamin’s phone, so she’d be fucked if he decided to call him and mention the trouble she’s gotten herself into. Again, she looks around the precinct from her chair, gazing at one desk in particular before looking further. It’s quite busy from what she’s seen, but it might be because of what occurred last night… or it could be merely because it was always crazy in Detroit nowadays.

She hears the shift behind her and she turns to see Hank getting on his jacket and Connor taking a step back to allow the other past him. What the hell were they doing now? “Hey, hey! Where are you guys going?”

“Out. We have to do something, which means you’re off the hook.” Connor seems to protest this but Hank is quick to cut him off, “But the next time you pull shit like that, I’m gonna keep your ass in the cell until you’re allowed to leave, understood? I’ll get your shit and walk you outside, but Connor and I need to get over there soon.” Xandra wants to say something snarky, wants to bite, but all she can do is frown before standing up with a small huff. He knows the answer, so he puts his hand behind her back and directs her out of the precinct, getting her stuff in the process, and out of the DPD. Once they’re out, Hank stops her to speak again, “Listen, I’m not supposed to say this to you but I know you’re a good kid. Don’t get into anymore trouble because we’re supposed to keep an eye on you… alright?”

Xandra can’t help but sigh before digging into her pocket for her cell phone, “Yeah, I get it, I’ll try not to get into anymore trouble.” They both say their goodbyes and go their separate ways, the young woman opening up her phone with a soft grunt and calling for a taxi, hoping that she’d get home before too long.

 

* * *

 

_ Nothing could get worse than this. _ She had to believe that nothing could get worse than not being able to find a job and rely entirely on the funds that her brother stored away on another bank account, solely for her. Nothing could get worse than the fucking  _ DPD  _ crawling up her ass because of what happened at the cafe. Her brother will know the instant she takes out money and will be asking her  _ why _ , even though he gave her the access. The young woman heaves a pitiful sound from herself, moving to her pristine white door before allowing it to scan her ID card. The soft ring and  _ click _ approves her card and it unlocks, not even noticing the small hiccup of numbers on her scanner. The only reason why she got this apartment in particular was solely because of the privacy and how no one was willing to live in such a weird place in town. She mutters to herself, trying to convince herself that she’ll order pot sticks tonight and not cook, but the instance she sets her ID and keys down, she pauses at the figure rummaging through her fridge. The soft, familiar tone of someone she thought was gone.

“Charlie?!”

The fridge door instantly shuts, lightly colored green eyes wide as if he was a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car — or someone who was just found organizing the contents of someone else’s fridge. He smiles almost instantly once he realizes who she is, freckles more apparent now that he’s changed his skin color from a once pale tone to a more peachy, tanner look. And his hair, his fucking _hair_ , isn’t black now, it’s fucking _red._ She stares in shock, a loss for words before she’s being grabbed and hugged, his nose nuzzling the side of her cheek before she hears the choked laughter of the other. Charlie pulls away, obviously looking better than he had months ago when she… when she…

Realization dawns on her and she narrows her eyes, pushing him away gently before pointing an accusing finger at his chest, “I told you to run off  _ months ago _ , Charlie!  _ Months ago!  _ Back in fucking  _ February.  _ Why the fuck are you here  _ now _ ?” He looks like he’s been caught taking the  _ whole cookie jar _ , a hurt puppy with the added effect of a fucking  _ pouty lip _ . She glares, “No, stop that  _ right now _ , you know why I told you to run.”

When he speaks, it’s softer than his regular voice, “I only wanted to make sure you were alright, especially after that  _ mean man _ ended up breaking up with you and—” She cuts him off, seething at the idea of remembering  _ that _ break-up, and gestures him to go on, “Listen, I truly wanted to run, I found someone who would give me a passport and everything, but then I met others and  _ they _ were joining up here, in Detroit! I had to tell my friends of the kindness that you gave me, how you saved me and… there was a slight problem when I met this group.”

Something crashes, the telltale sound of a small, scared shriek coming from the bathroom occupying the hallway, making her turn and stare at Charlie, “Charlie, I swear to God if you brought in _another fucking cat_ —”

“No, no! I’ve met many cats during my travel but this isn’t a  _ cat _ , Xandra! I told you, there was a slight problem with the group when I met them and once we came to Detroit, we parted ways, but I couldn’t leave  _ her _ behind with them!”

He’s trying to block her path to the bathroom, but she shoves him away so she can open the bathroom, “ _Her_? Charlie, I don’t care if you have a girlfriend now, but I can’t go saving everyone that you bring to m e! I was lucky enough that I was able to hide you for so long but…” She trails off, the door having been open and revealing a small, tiny girl standing amongst the minor disaster of scattered bottles of soap, shampoo, and conditioner that she had bought mainly for her brothers and friends. Her cheeks are tinted a soft baby blue, which matches the clear blue LED on the side of her forehead — she looks nothing like the default models, nothing like any model she’s seen before. Words are stuck in her throat as it runs dry and she takes a step back, licking her lips before glancing at the older android that she had taken care of before, “Charlie, what the _fuck_?”

She hears the child speak, something along the lines of  _ language, please _ before the older model shifts uncomfortably, “I was going to tell you, honest, but you’ve always been known to have… a temper when it comes to surprises, especially these kind.” Xandra takes a step back from the YK-model, rubbing the back of her neck before Charlie slips by, tugs the kid over to him, and has her sit down on the couch before cleaning up the clutter in the bathroom.

“Charlie, stop.” She says weakly, watching as he continues to clean up the mess before she steps into the bathroom and grabs the bottles from him, “You need to stop listening to your protocols… I thought you deleted them when I asked you to?” She cleans up the rest, waiting for his answer but never received one. So, he lied about deleting those as well… it’s like he didn’t even  _ want _ to live as a real person . She winces at her own thoughts, mentally slapping herself before putting the last bottle back and closing the bathroom door to move to the kitchen, “I said I wasn’t going to do this anymore, that I didn’t want to see anymore androids get hurt. Charlie, you  _ promised _ you were going to Canada to live somewhere new, to be  _ free _ .”

“I did leave, I was going to live there… but I happened upon the group and… they mentioned they were going to go to the place that would harbor ones like us, I had to come back, especially to see you and make sure you were okay…” His words sting. They hurt like needles sticking into arms and she has to absently rub at her own to get the feeling away from her. He continues and it just hurts even more, “They… they weren’t treating her right, Xandra, they were hurting her. I had to get her away from them, even if it meant almost getting caught in the process.” That’s when she glances at the little girl, who in turn was wiggling her fingers and looking at Princess’s tank.

Realization hits and it’s a much more worse feeling than the needle like pricks in her arms, “You… you want me to keep her here while you and the group stay at the one place.” It’s not even a question because she _knows_ the truth, she knows his intentions and knows what he wants, but she doesn’t know if she can _do this_ — she wasn’t fit to be a mother figure, or even a fucking _sister figure_. She looks at Charlie and frowns, watching as he moves a bit, shifting from one foot to the next while averting her gaze, “Charlie, you can’t be _serious_ right now.”

“I’d make up an excuse and say that I don’t have protocols to take care of children, but… I can only trust you,  _ please _ .” His voice rises a little, breaks up into static and it  _ breaks her fucking heart _ that she gives in just a little before covering her face and sighing.  _ Why was she doing this?  _ Was she honestly okay with harboring more androids? Especially with the police on her about this morning? Xandra fidgets, looks at the little girl, then finally breaks. She doesn’t even have to say anything and he’s already moving in and tightly hugging her to the point where’s she can barely breathe, “Thank you, thank you, thank you! You don’t know how much this means to me!”

“Charlie, please — calm down, alright?” She’d have to figure everything out soon, but she was sure her brother would provide her with a certificate if she brought it up… well, hopefully. She cringes and pulls away from the android before things get too serious. He explains everything to her; what to do, how to care for her,  _ everything _ . Even writes it down and puts it on the kitchen counter before she sees him off and allows the little girl to hug him before he leaves. They both wish him luck and safety and soon after, they’re alone together.

Xandra sucks in a deep breath and exhales slowly, knowing full well that she has a lot on her plate now.  _ A lot. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AS ALWAYS!!! Sending kudos + comments help my self-confidence when writing stories and chapters. Don't ever hesitate to tell me how excited you were reading a chapter or even mention a spelling error! 💞

**Author's Note:**

> be sure to leave comments and kudos, as it actually really helps when it comes to updating!
> 
> if you'd like to follow me on tumblr, my personal is rk600s and my writing sideblog is kiwifae!! hope you enjoyed. <3


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